Editing Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut:Volume 13 Episode 1 (section)

===Part 2===
「Nn, ku……!」

Lux opened his eyes along with a stinging pain.

It seemed he was let asleep after losing consciousness. An old and dull wooden ceiling entered his eyes.

「Ih! U……!」

The moment he gasped in nervousness, an intense pain stopped his breathing.

However, he didn’t even have leeway to groan slowly.

If Hayes was in front of him and gave him an order once more, he would have to move no matter what.

But, if he was ordered to do the same thing next, would he be able to do it?

An act of one-sidedly torturing someone innocent who couldn’t resist──

When he tried to lift his body along with such fear, a hand that reached out quickly from the side stopped him.

「You must not! Don’t move──」

Lux who was laid down on a sofa felt tense towards the presence that was looking down on him from right beside him.

He put up his guard thinking that an enemy was undoubtedly beside him, but when he focused his eyes, he could see a familiar side face.

「You are, Coral……?」

An androgynous face, no──right now he already understood that it was really a feminine face, which was undoubtedly the face of a girl his age.

Her braided beautiful silver hair and her mismatched eyes of gray and green color were the proof of the ancient era’s imperial family, the Lords.

The second imperial princess of the Holy Arcadia Empire, Aeril Vi Arcadia.

Just the other day, she showed her figure in place of Coral who was thought to have died in battle. She was the culprit who knocked out Lux and Greifer.

「So you are still calling me with that name. Me who betrayed you and caused you to experience something like this──」

The girl was looking down on Lux with eyes that looked lonely and also pained somewhere.

But, even though she was also a Lord, he couldn’t feel any hostility like Hayes from her.

She was simply smearing medicine on his scalded skin with gentle hand movement.

This place wasn’t the prison where Lux was at previously, but it seemed to be an office that was also inside the old castle.

He was laid down on a dusty sofa that was surrounded with old furniture.

There were no other people other than Lux and Aeril who were mutually wearing pilot suits. A peaceful atmosphere was flowing.

「Was it also you, who changed my pilot suit?」

His pilot suit that became tattered because of Hayes’s whipping had been changed with a brand new one without him noticing.

「That’s right──ah, sorry! It was because I couldn’t smear the medicine well unless I did that! It wasn’t like I did anything improper, but, that……I only saw it slightly.」

Aeril cheeks reddened slightly and her eyes swam around. Lux smiled wryly seeing that.

Even though her appearance had changed and her identity as the Lords’s second imperial princess had come to light, she was talking to Lux with the same atmosphere as before.

「More importantly, I’m really sorry. Even though I’m also here, I couldn’t stop my little sister’s──Hayes’s violence.」

The girl lowered her head deeply with a pained look.

Lux guessed that the event before this was something that happened while Aeril didn’t know.

「Coral……no, Aeril. What are you──?」

「I, was entrusted with this kind of mission since the beginning. Using the ability of Ruin with the power of this Baptism, I falsified my appearance──. From the start my objective was to control the battle situation to be convenient for the Lords.」

Aeril started talking with a low voice like that.

「Because I knew that Lux-kun is a Seven Dragon Paladin, and also the central figure of the New Kingdom, I stayed at your side and observed your actions even more than before. However, when all the Ruins were liberated, I became unable to keep staying as Coral anymore.」

「…………」

The camouflage function of perception manipulation by using a part of the Ruin’s power that was possible through Baptism.

By fully using that power that led a human’s perception astray and made them hallucinate, she succeeded in becoming an aide of a Seven Dragon Paladin.

Did she used up her power as the compensation for that?

Or perhaps there was no more need for her to deceive others?

「I am, the cowardly enemy who carried out the sneak attack against all of you. I think it’s only natural that you are holding a grudge towards me. But, I myself have no intention to hurt all of you. Hayes hates you Lux-kun, because you are from the family of traitors, but even that is actually a mistake.」

「A mistake……?」

「Yes. Because that is──」

「Oh ho, so you took away your little sister’s toy and are having fun here, Onee-sama.」

「……!?」

The door at the back was opened violently and Hayes who was clad in a robe stepped inside.

Lux immediately put up his guard, but Aeril stood up in Hayes’s way with a firm expression.

「It’s my jurisdiction here. I won’t let you lay your hand on him until I finished giving that talk.」

「Hah!」

Hayes snorted in annoyance looking at Aeril.

「Did you feel sympathy after pretending to be their ally? Looks like my family is really weak against men eeh. Or is this the character of the kind Onee-sama personally?」

Hayes spat out with a haughty attitude towards Aeril who was the second imperial princess.

At first Lux thought whether Hayes’s attitude was just because of her grudge, but he could feel that her temperament was even wilder than before, and also looked like it wasn’t simply because of her hatred towards Lux.

Most likely it was the influence of the Baptism that was applied in order to revive her.

The injection of Elixir also influenced the user’s mind and magnified their negative emotions.

Thus, Hayes’s atrocious and severe personality were also amplified.

Aeril replied calmly to the end towards such Hayes.

「It’s neither of that. The Seven Dragon Paladins and him are an excellent ace in the hole to be used in the negotiation after this. Even the slightest chance of losing them due to torture that is just for your whim is intolerable.」

「Kukukukuku, then, carry out Listelka-neesama’s instruction right away. My body’s ache won’t settle down, so I’m gonna show up on the battlefield for now.」

(Battlefield……?)

Lux who listened to Hayes’s speech thought of a small question inside his heart.

This place was the old castle in the abandoned capital Guernica. It was slightly curious to call the capturing of Avalon that was said to exist underground here as a 『battlefield』.

Taking into account Aeril’s sentence 「Capturing the Seven Dragon Paladins」 that she said just now, most likely the elite force of the world alliance was still remaining in the fortress.

Did their talk mean that Hayes would go out to suppress that force?

「I don’t mind. But Hayes, do you understand about your own situation? With that body, you will only be able to fight once or twice with full strength. Do you plan to die before capturing Avalon?」

「No need to worry. I’ll only lightly instigate the Abyss. The preparation of Nidhoggr is also still midway after all.」

「…………」

The Divine Drag-Ride Hayes used, Nidhoggr.

The Divine Drag-Ride that he once destroyed together with Lisha. Hayes deliberately divulging the information that it was repaired must be as a threat.

After looking down at Lux with a mocking gaze, Hayes left the room.

「Fuu……」

The tension that was like a storm had passed and Aeril sighed deeply.

She was certainly friendly, but it seemed that her stance as a Lord didn’t change.

But he wondered why.

Was Lux’s feeling that still wanted to believe in her just him escaping reality?

「My bad but, that’s how it is. It’s necessary for us Lords to capture Avalon earlier than anyone. For that I was given instructions to capture and make use of you all. That’s why Lux-kun, I’ll also have you work still.」

「What are you planning, to make me do?」

Lux asked with a calm tone. Aeril told him.

「I’ll go to release the chain of Greifer and Sir Singlen. I want you to go out from here and enter the room at the right, then bring the remaining Seven Dragon Paladins here. All of you got the Wedge fitted from the start, so don’t think to escape, because the electric current will flow even if you just try to take it off.」

「…………」

Lux silently nodded and followed Aeril’s instructions.

He was feeling somewhat doubtful why the release of the female members was left to him, but he immediately understood that it must be Aeril’s meager consideration.

Even among the Seven Dragon Paladins, Lux was close with all the members. So the meaning of Aeril leaving Lux to bring them here must be to give them some relief.

「Eerr, is it this room?」

Lux followed Aeril’s direction and moved to the room at the right──a place that seemed to be the parlor room of the old castle and put his hand on the doorknob.

He was curious about the large box that was in front of the room, but it would be unbearable if he got electrified if he carelessly investigated it, so he ignored it.

He took a deep breath, and stepped inside along with slight tension.

「Is everyone here? This is Lux, excuse me──……-!?」

「──!? KYAAAAAH……!?」

An old parlor room with sunlight shining in from the window.

The moment Lux entered inside, an unexpected sight made him stand still.

Lux was worried whether the girls received torture from Hayes, but it ended as simply his needless anxiety.

Everyone had the dark red collar, the Wedge, fitted on their necks, but it was obvious with a glance that they weren’t harmed at all.

The reason was──because no one was wearing any clothes.

Strictly speaking, they were wearing a single cloth that covered their body’s lower part, but there was nothing else other than that.

「Hohou. So you will peep even at this kind of situation. Aren’t you a great man, mine sweetheart.」

A girl with her arms folded without trying to hide her nakedness at all was boldly smirking at him.

The captain of the Seven Dragon Paladins, Magialca Zen Vanfrick.

It seemed she was actually a woman of blooming age, but her appearance and her petite stature made her look like an immature girl.

Her underwear was a light yellow fabric that was tied with string. From under her folded arms, her smallish breasts that were vividly shaking from her breathing could be seen.

「Wai-, just what are you thinking, Onii-chan!?」

The one who was puffing her cheeks angrily in anxiety was the youngest Seven Dragon Paladin, Mel Gizalut.

She had beautiful wavy platinum hair.

And then her well-ordered young face was dyed with shame. She was bringing about a somewhat immoral charm.

Her underwear was a lacey panty that was the same pure white color like her skin. The small stitched ribbon on it was lovely.

Because she had opened her heart to Lux since the incident in the Ymir Theocracy, she had a favorable impression towards Lux, but as expected she was showing a troubled face from the embarrassment.

Even though her breasts were so small that they could be hidden with her slender arms, her figure covering her body was strangely lovely.

「I’m seen again. As expected, this young man is a hardcore pervert……!」

The one who was showing a gaze that was a mix of shame and resentment from her expressionless face was Soffice Xfer, someone who was still fresh in memory from crossing swords against each other just the other day.

She was hugging both her shoulders by crossing her arms with only a single underwear of black fabric covering her.

She was turning her back to him to hide her skin from him, but her brown skinned back looked captivating.

And then──the last was a girl with distinctive crimson hair, Rosa Granhide.

She was brainwashed by Calensia, the King of Vices who was controlling Heiburg from the shadows and was made to play the villain role, but it seemed that right now she had returned slightly to her original self. She was hiding her voluptuous breasts with her palms.

Her red underwear that looked blazing was also leaving an impression, but the valley of her white voluptuous breasts were attracting Lux’s gaze even more.

「Lux-sama……!? Tha, that, if you wish for my body──」

「Wait, what are you doing Rosa!? It’s fine if you hide them without showing me! I didn’t come here wishing for that!」

Rosa’s eyes opened wide for a moment in some kind of misunderstanding, then her hand was timidly moving away from the breasts she were hiding.

The other girls who were seeing that were startled and they all raised their voices shrilly.

「……This person, isn’t her character changing when she is in front of Onii-chan?」

「You really cannot be underestimated. To think that your relationship with Rosa became like this without me noticing.」

Mel was raising a bewildered voice while beside her Magialca continued after her cheerfully.

Soffice muttered a fatal line with a gaze that looked somewhat creeped out.

「This young man wasn’t satisfied with just disgracing the captured me in the Academy……. This flow, he will play a perverted prank on me once more──」

「Wait, Onii-chan!? What did you do to Soffice!?」

「Lux-sama, ple, please be affectionate to──」

「What. So you two already had fun previously? Then I’ll join in too.」

While Mel was flustered, Rosa was misunderstanding further and sending Lux a feverish gaze, and Magialca was tracing Lux’s chest with her finger provocatively.

「That’s not it! REALLY JUST WHAT IS GOING OOOOOOON!」

The situation that was just too absurd caused Lux to yell. The door behind him opened at that time and Aeril entered.

「Ah……」

「Ah……」

With a snap Aeril’s mild expression stiffened into a twitching smile.

For a while, Aeril stared alternately at the half naked girls behind Lux, then before long she let out a small sigh.

「Hmmmm. I seeee」

She made a cold smile that was unusual for her and then without pause she left.

「──Wait! Don’t leave while understanding to a mistaken direction like that please!?」

「It’s fine to take your time you know? That’s, it’s not like I’ll pry into it excessively.」

「Why are you strangely angry!? It’s me who wants to ask what is with this situation though!」

Aeril was turning a gaze that contained danger inside it somewhere towards him. In response Lux quickly chased and caught up to her.

Originally it would be better to be left alone without the eyes of the Lords watching, but it would be unbearable to be left alone like this.

「Now now, both of you, listen to what I have to say.」

There, Magialca moved to the front of Lux and Aeril in that timing.

Even though she was half-naked with the aforementioned Wedge put on her neck, she was standing and acting boldly.

「Ku-ku-ku. I stayed quiet because it was fun teasing you two, but it will also be a waste to let go of this chance so I’ll lend you a favor. Most likely this is the scheme of that dirty-mouthed arms dealer.」

「Eh……?」

「Hayes? That’s──」

Lux was making a dubious face, while Aeril asked back.

Then Magialca pointed at outside the door.

「There is a container around there correct? When that arms dealer put on these collars, she tore off our clothes. Well, it was under the pretense of taking away hidden weapons and so on, but even after that she didn’t return our clothes. Thinking about that, surely you get the gist of the idea now.」

「That girl, just what in the world……?」

Aeril looked perplexed, but even Lux didn’t get any idea what this was about.

Then, Magialca let out a sigh that was mixed with exasperation and shrugged her shoulders.

It was inconsequential but, she wasn’t embarrassed at all even though she was in front of Lux, so it felt like various things would become visible.

「That arms dealer is really resentful to Lux right? I understand when looking at your wound under your suit. In that case in order to give your even more suffering, there is a possibility that she intended to make use of us.」

「Is that, related with the nakedness?」

Aeril tilted her head with a serious face. In response Magialca snickered.

「You are more innocent than expected if you still don’t understand after I spoke this far. What is a method to corner Lux and us the female members of the Seven Dragon Paladins mentally? I have an idea what kind of vulgar event that might make that low-life happy.」

「-……!? Don’t tell me──that’s」

It seemed Aeril hit upon something after a few seconds. Her noble face flashed bright red.

Was it shame, or rage?

Or perhaps both those emotions were fighting each other from Lux’s point of view.

An instant later Lux also noticed.

This was the same like when Hayes tried to make Lux whip Greifer before this.

Surely this time she would try to make Lux violate the girls of the Seven Dragon Paladins.

「What, a thing」

He trembled once more at Hayes’s bottomless malice that was rampaging due to the Baptism.

Magialca gave the same explanation to the other members. The girls were comprehending the situation while speaking unanimously.

「We get it already! So Onii-chan get out right away!」

The completely correct statement that Mel spoke gave Lux no choice but running away.

Thus this commotion that occurred right in the middle of the enemy camp closed its curtains.

And then, everyone changed into their respective outfits that Aeril brought for them, then a few minutes later──the Seven Dragon Paladins received a new trial.